TAS and process flow

Question

Dear All,
We are trying to use TAS for existing imeplentation.
We are not able to assign load id to Sales Order manually even config settings are done for manual one.
Pls. guide whether the process flow is correct for this.
Create Load ID --> Assign to SO --> Creat Outbound Delviery --> Create Bulk Shipment --> Create Loading Confirmation --> Create Delviery Confirmation.
Information on SAP help and in PDF file of TAS is quite confusing.Process flow is not clear.
Thanks and Regards,
Vijay Mundke

Answer 1

Hi Vijay,
the process can have different variantions, but the document you want to send to the tas system has to have the load-id assigned. The load-id triggers the tas relevance.
If you want to send the sales order to an external system, you need to assign the load-id to the sales order.
usually, the sales order is sent to a TPI system (transportation planning system) and the transportation system sends back the delivery and bulk shipment (idoc OILSHl). This means that this order goes to this truck. The shipment represents the truck on which the delivery is scheduled. Each document that is posted after-event is a function module (one for the delivery and one for the bulk shipment).
Then, you would send the bulk shipment to the terminal (refinery or depot). This means that a load-id needs to be assigned to the bulk shipment (idoc OILSHL). The TAS system receives the shipment and the loading must be done with reference to this shipment/load/id. Then, the TAS sends back the loading data (OILLDD), mainly the OILLDD file contains the reference, the material data, the load qty, the unit, the density, the temperature. The OILLDD idoc has many fields, but only a few are mandatory. I can send you a list of the mandatory fields if you can use it.
Then, the system posts the load confirmation automatically based on these data. depending on the set-up, you can either have the system post the load confirmation only or the load confirmation and the delivery confirmation. Both documents have standard function modules. I strongly recommend to use the standard function modules. They work. I have used them on several projects and all you need are some exits. If you post only the load confirmation, the delivery confirmation can be posted manually. If the customers are invoiced based on arrival quantities, the delivery confirmation can have different quantities (temperature can be quite different, especially in India). If invoicing is based on loaded quantities, you can post both the load and delivery confirmation with the same data or set up the customizing that a load confirmation will be the end of the process (based on the incoterm).
before, you can do the customizing, you need to check which processes you have. To know whether you have a shipment or a pick-up process triggers whether you should send a sales order or a shipment to the terminal. Most oil companies have their own fleet and deliver their fuel via a truck to the customer -> in this case, you need to send a bulk shipment to the terminal. But, often, the customers also pick-up the fuel at the refinery. Then, you only need a sales order and a delivery and goods issue is sufficient. However, if you need to manage the plate number at the refinery, you might want to process both of these variants via a bulk shipment. In all cases, the loadings will come back with an OILLDD idoc.
Depending on the answer to this question, you can set-up the tas relevance customizing. If you choose to send bulk shipments, you set up tas relevance for shipments. This defines simply in which cases a load-id is required in the shipment. Say you have 2 refineries which are represented in the transportation planning point (ref1 and Ref2). If only one refinery will have an automatic interface, you set up only that one to require a load-id. If you have several product groups (say Bitumen, white fuels) and some of them are automated (typically fuel) and other not (bitumen) and you have set them up as bulk shipment types, then you can further differentiate. Then, you need one load-id type for each process variation.
I like to use the following:
PU-ORDER (you send an order and the tas posts the delivery and goods issue)
SH-LC (you send a bulk shipment and the TAS posts the load confirmation only)
SH-LCDC (you send a bulk shipment and the TSA posts load and dlv confirmation)
SH-DC (the load confirmed shipment is sent to the arrival terminal and the arrival terminal sends back the delivery confirmation)
The most commonly used is the SH-LC.
After that, you call the control structures and the LID function groups the same name. (Types are A for pick-up, B for load confirmation and E for delivery confirmation). It makes the whole thing much clearer. Then, you just have to assign to each function group the inbound function modules of the standard.
Standard load confirmation for SH-LC for example and standard delivery confirmation for SH-DC.  I hope this helps.
Regards, Petra